Love is in the air!

This is a great excuse to eat some chocolate!  Empty that Valentine heart and make a shape sorter for your child!  It's a great visual perceptual task! I used two different colors of brown for dark and milk chocolate. You can make the shapes as simple or complex as you'd like depending on your child's age and skill!



Share the Love!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Let's Get Moving!

I am not a fan of cold weather.  This is one (of the few) areas that my husband and I do not see eye to eye.  He would love to move to Colorado but I would only go kicking and screaming.  But, we all know that staying inside all day and having kids is NOT a good combination!  While I may be happy lying around on the couch for the day, Clara would tolerate my laziness for, oh, about 30 minutes if I was lucky.  After about an hour or two in the morning, I am racking my brain about what I can do to entertain her.  When it's warm outside, it's not a problem.  We go for a walk, swing on the play set, go to the pool, play in the yard, or go to the park.

But when it's cold out, it's time to find some alternative solutions.  Yes, we could go to the mall but that would require her to spend most of her time in the stroller and that does not meet my goal of getting out some of her energy!  Also, as an OT, I know that our children's bodies need regular physical activity to stay healthy and to build the muscle strength they need to develop those fine motor and gross motor skills.  Physical activity also helps to calm their little bodies, making it easier for them to cope with frustration, deal with stressors, and soothe themselves, which, in turns, makes for a happier child and a happier mommy.

There are quite a few ways to get your child moving if you are stuck in the house.  Pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, crawling, rolling, and jumping are great ways to help your child get out extra energy and get the sensory input their little body's need.

The tunnel is one of our favorites.  Clara loves to crawl back and forth through the tunnel, which is also great for continuing to strengthen her little arms now that she is walking.  You can place the tunnel over pillows for an extra challenge. 

She also loves to carry toys in containers with handles, which helps to improve her walking balance, makes her stronger, and is a great physical activity.

Pushing is another of her favorites.  We have a ton of big boxes left over from Christmas that Clara loves to push her toys around in. 

She also loves to figure out how to climb in the boxes herself, which is also a great physical activity AND is great for her problem-solving skills.

For older kids, tunnels are also great.  For extra fun, you can cover old phone books with fabric and have your children push them through the tunnel or carry them though the house to deliver the "presents" to family members and stuffed animals.  They (or you) can also create obstacle courses in the floor using large floor pillows, old comforters, and other items around the house that your child can crawl over, under, or through.  Make it fun by having your child carry puzzle pieces or stuffed animals from one side of the obstacle course to the other.  Other ideas to get out some energy and strengthen their little core and arms include having your child animal walk (lizard crawl, bear walk, frog jumps, bunny hops, crab walk) from one side of the room to the other to collect puzzle pieces, game pieces, building blocks during play or playing "Simon Says" using physical movements such as jumping, rolling, and child-friendly yoga poses!  

Trust me, getting your little one moving will make the day better for them and for you.  So, get creative and let the fun begin!

Dana Elliot, MS OTR/L

DIY Fine Motor Activities!

Forget about the expensive toys! 

Make your own fine motor activities at home!

Get a muffin tray, some tweezers or kitchen tongs and small objects that you have scattered around the house.  He can work on placing them in the cups or even sort them by color!

 

Straws make him successful with stringing a bead!  Once he has mastered that, move on to string!

Cut a hole in the top of a container for buttons, coins, popsicle sticks, etc. 

The neighbor kids had fun decorating these sticks!

A parmesan cheese container is great for working out those first three fingers needed to hold a pencil!  Straws, pipe cleaners and even little puff balls are fun to stick through the holes!  Paint around the holes in different colors to make it a sorting activity.

The squeezable mayonnaise containers are great for working on a pincer grasp.  Small buttons or pennies can be placed through the slot.  Also, have your child pick up three pennies, one after another, using only one hand, and then place them into the slot one at a time.

The possibilities are endless!  Take a look around your house to make other variations of finger fun!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Sensory Writing!

        

Learning to write can be fun!  Practicing the strokes and formation of letters doesn’t have to be done with a pencil on paper!  Use different tactile media to make writing a sensory experience; it will be super fun and motivating and your child will quickly pick up on the writing strokes!

Try some of the following finger fun to write letters, words and even sentences! Depending on your child’s level, he can freely draw and experiment with lines, copy lines you’ve drawn in the same media, use different tools to work on scooping or retrieving items, or copy a design from a drawing on a separate piece of paper.

It’s a great time of year for insta-snow!

Free Drawing

Copying a simple, vertical line

Working with tools and exploring the tactile media.

Copying more complex designs from paper

For additional input, also try:

·         400 grade sand paper under the paper

·         Shaving cream

·         Playdoh

·         Shaving gel in a sealed baggie

·         Concrete with sidewalk chalk

·         Sand

·         Rice or bird seed

Write On!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

December is here and it's time for gift giving! I know that you want to give your children toys that are developmental, educational and therapeutic! These are a few of my favorites, but if you need some help, just ask me or your therapist and we'll be glad to help you find something perfect for your little angel!

Infants

·         Crayola Jumbles

·         Hungry Pelican Plush at Young Explorers

·         Color Tower Stacking Game by Haba

·         Playskool Chase Me Critter

·         Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank

·         Alex Jr. I Can Cook

·         Melissa and Doug Deluxe Bug Jug Fill and Spill Soft Baby Toy

Toddlers

·         Educo Early Melodies Pound and Tap Bench

·         Tobbles Stacking Toy

·         Playskool Poppin’ Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper

·         Fropper Ride-On by Okiedog

·         Plan Toys Push ‘n Pull Helicopter Push Toy

·         Crab Calino-HABA pull toy

PreSchool

·         Coo Coo the Clown by Blue Orange

·         Block Buddies by MindWare

·         Pattern Play by MindWare

·         The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game by Educational Insights

·         Imaginets by MindWare

·         Sorting Pie Playset at Therapy Shoppe

·         My Little Sandbox at Amazon

·         I Can Pound Activity Bench by Fundanoodle

·         Skuut Balance Bike at Target or Toys &Co.

Children 5-9

·         Dig and Discover Excavation Kits at Fat Brain Toys, MindWare or Toys & Co.

·         Magnetic Mosaico at MindWare

·         Straws and Connectors by Roylco at www.strawsandconnectors.com

·         Rush Hour Junior by ThinkFun at MindWare

·         Spot It! by Blue Orange

·         Blind Spell at MindWare

·         Flying Turtle by Mason Corporation at Amazon

·         The Spooner- Toys & Co. or pfot.com

·         Wobble Deck Balance Board at Discovery Channel Store

·         Muscle Mover Gross Motor Cards by Fundanoodle

Tweens

·         Rush Hour- Target or MindWare

·         Buckyballs by Zoomdoggle

·         Ogo Sports Discs- Target or Brilliant Sky

·         Spooner Board Pro-pfot.com

·         Razor Bogo Pogo by Razor

·         Torx Smash Stix at Kmart

·         FyrFlyz Multicolor Blue Angel at Amazon

Attention Santa’s Elves! Stocking Stuffers

·         Thinking Putty, Silly Putty or Big Putty

·         Floam-Discount School Supply or Therapy Shoppe

·         Dino Popper at Therapy Shoppe

·         Wind Up Fishing Game at Therapy Shoppe

·         Flapping Owl Whistle or Whirly Wheel Whistle at Therapy Shoppe

·         Wind Up Toy such as Wind Up Penguin at Therapro

·         FyrFlyz Green Cyclone by iStar Entertainment

·         Tangle Hairy at playworks.net

Happy Holidays!

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Kids Need Their Zzzzzs!

Sleep is so important for our children, both mentally and physically.  A good night’s sleep helps improve our mental alertness and just makes us feel better! The amount of sleep that each child needs varies, but a good rule of thumb is:  1-3 years old need 12-14 hours, 3-5 years old need 11-13 hours, 5-12 years old need 10-11 hours and teens need 9-10 hours per night. 

To ensure that your child has an easy time falling asleep and gets a restful sleep, try the following:

·         Reduce Stimuli prior to bedtime-limit the noise, dim the lights, avoid television, computers and video games

·         Linear movement, like rocking, is calming.  Avoid spinning or excessive movement at least an hour prior to bedtime

·         For infants- put your child down when he or she is drowsy, not asleep

·         Avoid caffeine and sugar

·         Maintain a consistent bedtime routine- bath, books, bed

·         Scented bath products with lavender may be helpful

·         Give your child a massage using firm, deep pressure-ask your therapist to show you massage techniques

·         For children who startle easily, consider using white noise

·         Try using a heavy blanket such as a quilt or one made of chenille

·         Ask your occupational therapist about the possibility of using a weighted blanket

Michelle Yoder, OTR/L

Avoiding Holiday Havoc

With the holiday season quickly approaching, it is important as parents to carefully guard our family’s schedule.  Putting too many items on the calendar without sufficient down time can lead to tired and unhappy children, as well as grumpy and forgetful parents.  When you start receiving those invitations, try to weigh them out and select only those invitations that will comfortably fit into your schedule.  It is important to select those activities or events that will bring you joy and help you fully experience the beauty of the season, limiting those events that you do only because you feel obligated.  I always ask myself three questions, “Does this activity benefit my spiritual growth, my family, or my personal growth?”  If it does not, I try very hard to say no!  This is a life-long process for most mothers.

As the weather gets cold and your children have less time playing outdoors, it is also important to include physical activity in your children’s schedule.  This might be a good time to try our Yoga class here at Touchstone, or maybe sign-up for martial arts, swimming, or indoor gymnastics/play classes. Make sure you also make time for you to get the physical activity that you need, as well.  If you are not healthy and happy, then you cannot take care of your family.

So, this holiday season let’s all try to be mindful of how we use our time, experiencing each moment to its fullest!  Happy Holidays from your friends at Touchstone Therapy.

Karen Charlton, MPT